Electric signal-box.



J. DERBY. ELECTRIC SIGNAL BOX.

APPLIUATION FILED SEYT. 1, 1910.

1,060,539. Patented Apr. 29, 1913.

M e e F/srm.

ATTRNEYS COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH C0.,wAsH|NGToN, n. c,

JOHN DERBY, 0E NEw YORK, N. Y.

i ELECTRIC SIGNAL-B0X.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 29, 1913.

Application led September 1, 1910. Serial No. 580,009.

only by loss of power in the solenoid 22,

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOHN DERBY, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of t-he city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, in the county ofKings and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved ElectricSignal-Box, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

My invention relates to elect-ric switch boxes, my more particular ideabeing to produce a switch box having parts actuated electrically andalso having connections whereby the box and its variouselectrically-operated parts can be connected up as a portion of a blocksignal system.

'Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis speciication, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in both the figures.

the arrow.

At 3 is a casing which is provided with a door 4 adapted to be openedand closed.

This doorl has mounted directly upon it various parts, as hereinafterdescribed, and including a telltale lamp 5 and a danger signal lamp 6.At 7 is another lamp which is supported directly by the wall of thecasing 3 and is provided with a reflector 8.

At 9, 10, 11 are three windows with which the door 4 of the casing isprovided.

A semaphore arm is shown at`12 and is mounted upona pivot pin 13, thisarm being free to swing outwardly from the casing which is provided witha slot 12a for this purpose. A shackle 14 is connected with the arm 12by aid of a pivot pin 15 and lis mounted rigidly upon one end of a rod16. The opposite end of this rod is provided with a shackle 17 securedrigidly upon it. f

At 18 is a rocking shield mounted upon a fixed pivot 19 and serving asablinder. The shackle 17 is pivotally connected with asportion of theblinder 18.

At 20 is a rod carrying at its upper end a fork 20a,A this fork beingpivotally connected with the shield 18. This shield is used as anemergency signal, -to be operated whether such loss of power be.causedby accident, such as breaking a wire, or otherwise. The lower end of therod 20 is secured to a core 21 of soft iron or other magnetic material.

At 22 is asolenoid relatively to which the l l core 21 serves as anarmature. The solenoid 22 is held in position by aid of a strap 23, thelatter being secured directly upon the inside of the door 4. Anothersolenoid is shown at 24 and is, by aid of a strap 25,

mounted rigidly upon a block 26, the latter being secured to the back ofthe casing 3.

At 27 is an armature for the solenoid 24,

this armature having generally theV form of .1.:

a core movable in the general direction of its own length. Extendingdiametrically through the armature 27 are stop pins 28,

.29. The armature 27 extends through a hole in a shelf* 30, the latterbeing secured upon the back of the casing. The core 27 has a limitedplay represent-ing the proximate distance between the stop pins 28, 29.

At 31 is a chain which engages a sprocket the latter being secured uponthe back of the casing. The chain 31 is connected with a trigger 34forming part of a firearm 35 provided with a barrel 36. This firearm arm32 which is mounted upon a pintle 33,

may conveniently be an ordinary self-action .ii-

revolver loaded with blank cartridges. Any sort of a gun, however, canbe employed instead. The firearm is supported by aid of a plate 36asecured to the wall of the casing. Two solenoids 37,38 have their axesin alinement and are supported by blocks 39, being secured to the latterby aid of straps 40.

At 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47 are binding ,Y

posts mounted conveniently within'the bottomfof the casing and used forplacing various parts in electrical communication with eachother, ashereinafter described. Connected with the binding posts 41, 42 are wires48, 49, the wire 49 being connected with a wire 50 which, with the wire48, is connected with the incandescent lamp 5. A wire 51 is connectedwith the wires 49, 50 and with the solenoid 22. A wire 52 is connectedwith this solenoid and also with a wire 53. Connected with the latterisa wire 54 which leads to the solenoid 38. Av

wire 55`is connected with the wires 53, 54 and is also connected with awire 56,. the

latter leading to the solenoid 37. A wire. lf

' 58b extends from the solenoid 37 to the binding post 43. A wire 59a isconnected to the Solenoid 24 and to the t-wo Wires 52, 53. A- wire 60aLis connected with the solenoid 24 n and with the binding post 46.

At 63 are contacts which are disposed partially within the path oftravel of the knives 61 and adaptedA to be engaged by these knives whenthe latter are thrown to the right according to Fig. 1.

` At 64 is a core serving as an armature for the solenoids 37 38 andconnected by a pin 65 with the cross bar 62. A wire 66 is connected withthe solenoid 38 and with the binding post 45. Une of the contacts 63 isconnected with a Wire 67 which leads to the incandescent lamp 6. A Wire68 is co-nnected with this incandescent lamp and also with the bindingpost 47. NVhen the solenoid 37 is energized the switch knives 61 arerocked to the left, according to Fig. 1, as indicated in said figure.This pulls the switch knives out of engagement with the contacts 63.VWhen, however, the solenoid 38 4is energized, the switch knives 61 arebrought into engagement with the contact members 63.

The mechanism shown in the drawings and above described, is used in avariety of relations, one of the commonest of which is to connect up thevarious binding posts 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47 with the wires of ablock signal system, in such manner that current is supplied to themiddle post 44 and distributed thence to various parts shown anddescribed, to some one of the other binding posts 41., 42, 43, 45, 46,47, thereby actuating the proper parts to be affected. When thus used,it is desirable that there be a source of electricity and contactmechanism in electrical communication with the binding post 44, thesource of electricity being, by aid of the contact mechanism, throwninto electrical communication with the various binding posts 41, 42, 43,45, 46, 47, preferably in a definite order of succession beginning, Iwill say, with the post 41. Suppose, now, that the source of electricityis through the contact mechanism connected with both of the posts 41 and44. The following circuit is thus completed: binding post 44, wire 58,binding post 58a, wires 57, 55, 53, 52, solenoid 22, wires 21, 50,incandescent lamp 5, wire 48, binding post 41, to contact mechanismandbattery. This lights the incandescent lamp 5, and also energizes thesolenoid 22, causing the blinder 18 to swing into its uppermostposition, thus cutting off the light of the lamp 7 from passing throughthewindow 10 and assuming i the position indicated in Fig. 1. Thebinding post 42 being similarly in communica` to source of electricity.This energizes the solenoid 22 but has no effectupon the incandescentlamp 5. Communication being now established from the binding post 43through contact mechanism and source of electricity, the followingcircuit is completed: source of electricity, binding post 44, wire 58,binding post 58a, wires 57, 56, solenoid 37, wire 58, binding post 43,contact mechanism and thence to source of electricity. This energizesthe solenoid 37, and, by causing the armature 64 to'move to the leftaccording to Fig. 1, throws the switch knives 61 to the left andconsequently out of engagement with the contacts 63. Communication beingestablished from the source of electricity and contact mechanism to thebinding posts 44, 45, the following circuit electricity. This energizesthe solenoid 39' and causes it to draw the armature 64 to the rightaccording to Fig. 1. This brings the switch knives 61 into engagementwith the contacts 63. If, now, it happens that the binding post 47 is,through the contact mechanism, in communication with the source ofelectricity, the following circuit is complete: source of electricity,binding post 44, forks 59, switch knives 61, contacts 63, wire 67,incandescent lamp 6, wire 68, binding post 47, contact mechanism andsource of electricity. The binding post 44 being now placed incommunication with the binding post 46 by aid of the contact mechanism,the following circuitis thus completed: binding post 44, wire 58,binding post 58a, wires 57, 55, 53, 59, solenoid 24, wire 60, bindingpost 46, contact mechanism, thence to source of electricity. Thisenergizes the solenoid 24, and by causing it to lift its armature 27causes the sprocket arm 32 to rock, and by drawing the chain 31 pullsthe trigger 34 of the firearm 35, thereby discharging the firearm.

A number of electric switch boxes of the type above described areconnected-with appropriate wiring and so arranged that when the variouscircuits above traced are closed one at a time in successive order bymovements of the rolling stock, the various mechanical parts areactuated as described.

f 13Cl Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent:

1. In an electric switch boX, the combination of a casing, a {ire-armsupported by said casing, said tire-arm being provided with a triggerwhereby it may be discharged in order to produce an alarm, a sprocketarmjournaled upon said casing, a sprocketchain connected with said triggerand engaging said sprocket-arm, an electro magnetic member, an armaturemovable relatively to said electro magnetic member and controllablethereby, said armature being connected with said sprocket chain.

2. In an electric switch box, the combination of a casing, a fire-armsupported thereby and provided with a trigger, a sprocketarm having asubstantially semi-circular form and pivotally mounted substantially atone of its ends within said casing, a solenoid, a core movablerelatively thereto and controllable thereby, said solenoid and said corebeing so positioned that the path of travel of said core issubstantially in alinement with the free end of said sprocket-armopposite to the end thereof upon which said sprocket-arm is pivotallymounted, and a sprocket chain connected with said trigger and engagingthe arcuate edge of said sprocket-arm, said chain being connected withsaid core.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN DERBY.

Vitnesses WAL'I'ON HARRISON, PHILIP D. ROLLHAUS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ive cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

